Balochistan

1. Unidentified armed motorcyclists targeted an FC vehicle carrying six persons with gunshots, injuring three security personnel in the Rogoani area, Chapman (16.6.24).
2. Ten people, including a customs department officer, were kidnapped at gunpoint by armed gunmen from a picnic spot in Shaban Valley, 35 km from Quetta. Three were released later. The outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility (20 & 24.6.24).
3. The body of an unidentified person was found in a well in Khuzdar district (21.6.24).
4. Unknown armed men attacked a Levies Force station in Hoshab, Kech district, and took away weapons, money, mobile phones, and a motorcycle after holding the security personnel hostage (21.6.24).
5. Unknown armed motorcyclists martyred Levies Force personnel Gul Zaman in Ziarat in a targeted attack (22.6.24).
6. The body of an unidentified person was recovered by the police in Killings Khalil Dam area, Quetta (23.6.24).
7. Provincial Home Minister of Balochistan Mir Ziaullah Longove announced the arrest of two key TTP commanders during an operation. They were allegedly establishing terrorist sanctuaries with BLA’s support and targeting CPEC projects and Chinese citizens (26.6.24).
8. Security forces rescued 18 personnel and martyred two during a terrorist attack on PPL project security posts in Kalat district. The BLA claimed responsibility (27.6.24).
9. Unidentified miscreants lobbed a grenade at a security forces vehicle, injuring seven passersby on Brewery Road, Quetta (27.6.24).
10. Armed gunmen killed two and injured two, including a woman, in Drib Machi, Jhal Magsi district (28.6.24).

KP

1. CTD police killed a local TTP commander, Waliullah, in Lakki Marwat (16.6.24).
2. Four tobacco processing furnaces were gutted in Swabi district, causing significant financial losses (16.6.24).
3. Unknown armed motorcyclists attacked a police patrol vehicle in Hangu, injuring the SHO and his gunman. One attacker and a passerby were also injured (16.6.24).
4. ASI police officer Asifullah was martyred in a targeted attack in Peshawar (16.6.24).
5. Unknown gunmen killed journalist Khalil Jabra in Khyber district (19.6.24).
6. JUI(F) leader Moulana Din Saeed Wazir Gangikhel was killed in South Waziristan (18.6.24).
7. CTD police arrested 14 suspects and recovered explosives and detonators in various raids (20.6.24).
8. A mob lynched a tourist, Muhammad Ismail, in Swat after accusing him of blasphemy. The police controlled the situation and arrested 23 suspects (20.6.24).
9. Five soldiers were martyred in an IED attack in Kurram district (21.6.24).
10. Unknown gunmen killed two brothers in Peshawar. Investigations are ongoing (21.6.24).
11. Security forces repulsed cross-border attacks from Afghanistan into Lower Dir district (24.6.24).
12. Police arrested a motorcycle theft gang leader and recovered 26 stolen motorcycles in Dera Ismail Khan (24.6.24).
13. A kidnapped veterinarian, Dr. Syed Ghazanfar Husain Shah, was released in Dera Ismail Khan. The TTP allegedly claimed responsibility (25.6.24).
14. Unidentified terrorists lobbed grenades at a security convoy in North Waziristan, injuring seven passersby (25.6.24).
15. Armed gunmen killed eight people, including women and children, in Budaber, Peshawar. Investigations are ongoing (25.6.24).
16. Unknown gunmen martyred CTD Police constable Zubair Khan in Bannu (26.6.24).
17. A police vehicle was damaged in an IED attack in Bannu, with no casualties (26.6.24).
18. Unknown men threw a grenade at Haji Aslam’s hujra in Lakki Marwat, causing no casualties (27.6.24).
19. Police repulsed an attack on a police station in Bannu (27.6.24).
20. Armed gunmen abducted 13 laborers in Tank, with nine later freed by police (28.6.24).
21. A police post in Peshawar was slightly damaged by a rocket attack (28.6.24).

Comments & Analysis: In June, as compared to May, attacks declined by 20%, deaths by 33%, and injuries by 25% as reported by the Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS). Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) was the most affected region with 27 attacks, followed by Balochistan with 11 attacks. Notably, Balochistan saw significant declines in attacks, deaths, and injuries by 52%, 80%, and 69%, respectively. Nevertheless, the streak of terrorism continued during the period under review.

Punjab

1. Four unidentified armed motorcyclists martyred Brigadier (r) Amir Hamza and injured his wife and daughter in Jhelum (19.7.24).
2. A 14-year-old boy allegedly stabbed a man to death over a sectarian dispute in Gujarat (23.6.24).
3. Police foiled a fake blasphemy plot in Okara, leading to the arrest of the perpetrator (24 & 27.6.24).

Sindh

1. Three gangsters were killed in police encounters in Ghotki and Shakarpur, with arms and ammunition recovered (17.6.24).
2. Armed gangsters martyred a police constable in Kandhkot (20.6.24).
3. A dead body of an unknown young man stuffed in a gunny bag was found in Kaneez Fatima Society area of Karachi (24.6.24).
4. Police and Rangers killed a suspected dacoit in Kandhkot (24.6.24).

Defence/Security

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir visited Haji Pir Sector along the Line of Control (LOC) and offered Eid-al-Adha prayers with troops stationed there. He commended their morale and dedication to defending the homeland. Addressing the Kashmiri people’s struggle for self-determination, he condemned Indian brutalities in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and reiterated Pakistan’s principled stand aligned with the relevant UN resolutions (17.6.24).

The Chinese Minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, Liu Jiachao, called on COAS at GHQ Rawalpindi. They discussed mutual interests focusing on regional peace, stability, and the Pakistan-China strategic partnership. They also reviewed the progress of CPEC, with the COAS reaffirming the unwavering commitment to successfully implementing all projects under the Belt and Road Initiative. The Chinese Minister also met with top Pakistani leaders, including PM Shehbaz Sharif, and attended a meeting of the Pakistan-China Joint Mechanism with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and representatives of major political parties, emphasizing enhanced security for Chinese nationals and CPEC projects as crucial for investment and progress (21 & 22.6.24).

The Central Apex Committee of the National Action Plan, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by service chiefs, key federal ministers, provincial Chief Ministers, and Chief Secretaries, approved a campaign named “Operation Azam-e-Istehkam” to combat terrorism and extremism in the country. The operation will involve kinetic actions by security forces in coordination with all LEAs and provincial police and diplomatic efforts at the external level. The federal cabinet later approved the operation. Its announcement faced criticism from opposition parties, demanding it be placed before parliament for approval. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, in his National Assembly speech, presented evidence of the defunct TTP’s hideouts in Afghanistan and its export of terrorism to Pakistan, asserting Pakistan’s right to retaliate against them (22, 24 & 28.6.24).

Diplomatic Developments

Ambassador to the United States Masood Khan, addressing the audience at Wilson South Asia Center in Washington DC, emphasized the need to reset Pakistan-US relations, enhance security and intelligence cooperation, and resume the sale of advanced military platforms to Pakistan. He mentioned that Pakistan has launched a fresh campaign against growing terrorism and militancy under the newly initiated “Operation Azam-e-Istehkam,” and stressed the need for small arms and communication equipment for its success. Meanwhile, the Foreign Office announced the appointment of Additional Secretary for the Middle East Rizwan Saeed Sheikh as the new Ambassador to Washington and Ambassador Asim Iftikhar as the Additional Representative of Pakistan to the UN. It is noted that the decision to appoint a new ambassador to the US was overdue, and the three-month extended contract of the current envoy Masood Khan was nearing expiry (27 & 28.6.24).

Part 2- Region

Afghanistan

Outlawed TTP commander Abdul Manan Ilyas, also known as Hakimullah, was reportedly killed in the Chugharsari area of Asadabad district in Kunar province. It is learned that he was a former member of the Malakand chapter of the group, close to its senior leader Azmetullah Mehsud, and remained active in numerous terrorist attacks in Pakistan, particularly in Bajaur district. However, no official confirmation has been provided (19.6.24). Suhail Shaheen, Head of the Taliban political office in Doha, Qatar, commented on Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s remarks about TTP hideouts, stating that Afghan soil is neither used to interfere with other countries nor will it allow any adventures in Afghanistan (28.6.24).

The Third Doha Conference was held from June 30th to July 1st, under the UN Under-Secretary Rosemary DiCarlo in Qatar. Representatives from countries including the USA, Russia, China, Iran, and Pakistan were scheduled to be discussed Afghanistan’s issues, such as terrorism, drug control, women’s and human rights, poor economy, and environmental setbacks. A six-member IEA delegation led by Zabihullah Mujahid attended the conference (30.6.24).

India

Lt. General Dhirah Seth, Commander of the South Western Command, visited Bathinda Cantt and the army aviation station, where he was briefed about operational preparedness and system upgrades. Bathinda, a defense hub facing Pakistan’s border, houses the 10th Corps HQ and one of the country’s largest army aviation bases (16.6.24). Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chouhan visited 16 Corps HQ in Jammu to review operational preparedness and security for the Amarnath Yatra (17.6.24). Indian security forces reportedly martyred several Kashmiri youths in fake encounters in Bandipora, Baramulla, and Uri, branding them as terrorists (18, 22, 27.6.24).

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Illegally Occupied Indian Held Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) for International Yoga Day at Sher-e-Kashmir International Stadium, Dal Lake, Srinagar, amid tight security. His visit aimed to highlight IIOJK as a healthy and peaceful place and to inspire BJP workers ahead of potential state assembly elections (21-22.6.24). US National Security Advisor (NSA) Jack Sullivan met with PM Modi to discuss mutual cooperation in emerging technologies and held separate meetings with Indian NSA Ajit Doval (17.6.24). A US Congress delegation led by Michael McCaul met with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and other Indian leaders and visited Dharamshala to meet exiled Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama (20.6.24). Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, during her visit to India, discussed enhancing bilateral and strategic relations with PM Modi (22.6.24). PM Modi is expected to visit Moscow in July, marking his first visit since the Russia-Ukraine war (27.6.24).

Iran

Canada, after designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guards (IRG) as a terrorist organization, urged its citizens to avoid traveling to Iran. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced sanctions on Iranian petroleum products in response to Iran’s nuclear program and uranium enrichment, raising concerns about potential atomic bomb development (20, 27.6.24).

Two police personnel were reportedly killed by unknown gunmen in an attack on their vehicle carrying a ballot box in Sistan-Baluchestan province (29.6.24).

Iran witnessed a run-off presidential election between reformist Masood Pezeshkian and hardliner Saeed Jalili on June 28, with the second phase scheduled for July 5. The president’s office has been vacant since the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash last month (29.6.24).